FROM LEFT TO RIGHT: Soliece Padilla, Isa Griego, and Bailey Santillanes. Photos courtesy of the UNM Spirit Program/ taken by Alex Graham

However, the Rio Grande Ravens have seemed to crack the formula. Three UNM cheerleaders are Rio Grande alumni, and hail from the South Valley. In fact, every year since 2023, a Raven has made the team.

“The South Valley has a very big place in my heart,” UNM cheerleader Isa Griego said. “It will always have a place in my heat, and I will never forget where I came from.”

The other Ravens-turned-Lobos include sophomore Soliece Padilla, and freshman Bailey Santillanes.

“On TV, I would see the Lobo cheerleaders, and I was just obsessed. I thought it was the coolest thing ever,” Santillanes said.

After talking to all three, there were two common themes in the cheerleaders: grit and a blue-collar mentality.

“I didn’t come in with as much technique as some of the other girls. Yeah, I’m the underdog. Now, watch me work just as hard, if not harder, to get on this team,” Griego said.

Griego was the first of the trio to make the team, and at the time, she was the first Raven to make the UNM team in nearly a decade.

According to Griego, in preparation for tryouts, she did three private lessons per week, attended open gym, and participated in high school practices at Rio Grande. Fast-forward a few years, and Griego is now a versatile cheerleader for the Lobos who can jump in as a side base, main base or a backspot.

“Whatever coaches need that day, I’ll step in and do it,” Greigo said.

The following year after Griego made the team, Padilla made the team.

“As a South Valley girl, I feel like there are a lot of stereotypes. Don’t listen to them. Believe in yourself, and spend your energy on people who believe in you,” Padilla said, who is hoping to go into sports broadcasting after college.

Padilla is another versatile cheerleader for the Lobos who is a main base, side base, and a flyer. Besides all the duties of a cheerleader, she also works two jobs. 

This past season, Santillanes completed the trilogy after overcoming a difficult senior year.

In her debut season, Santillanes got her first taste of “crossover season” which is a period where football, basketball, and volleyball games are all happening at the same time. However, the busy schedule of a cheerleader does nothing but brighten her smile even more.

“I’m genuinely living a dream that I’ve had since I was little,” Santillanes said, who also spoke glowingly of her coaches saying,”Gabby, Kelly, and Jocelyn are just incredible people. They don’t just care about the sport but they also care about us as people.”

As the 2025-25 UNM Spirit season comes to a close, tryouts are just around the corner.

“Once you do cheerleading you can do any sport. It just makes you so athletic in ways that other sports don’t,” Padilla said. “My advice would be to full-send everything. Don’t let anyone hold you back.”

According to the UNM Spirit website, the tryout process will begin March 30 when tryout applications become available. On April 14, tryout applications are due. On April 20, video submissions are due. On April 24, the finalists will be announced.

“When I was younger, I did every sport under the sun…there’s just something when you know you’ve found the right sport, and it calls to you,” Griego said of her calling.

Besides tryouts, you can also catch the UNM cheerleaders at the NMAA Spirit State Championships at The Pit March 20-21.

If you need any more info on UNM cheer/dance tryouts, please click here